


In Sickness and in Health

by SymmetryLocked



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Illnesses, Little bit of angst, Okay some angst, Very fluffy, injuries, it will get better though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-21
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-16 10:06:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4621272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SymmetryLocked/pseuds/SymmetryLocked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nothing seems to be going right for Abby Griffin. She only wants to find her daughter, but fate keeps throwing obstacles in her path. And other people's paths too. Fate sucks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ankle Sprain and Emotional Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! My first multi-chapter fic! :3 It was originally just going to be a one shot (loosely) based off a day I had. But, as my week got crazier, so did my story. Let me know what you think!

“I’m going to find Clarke.” Abby Griffin said firmly. There would be no arguing with her. It had been almost half a year since she had last seen her daughter and she was going to change that. Her leg had almost completely healed since the incident in Mount Weather. She had waited long enough, secretly hoping her daughter would return of her own free will, but since that obviously was not going to happen, Abby had to do what she could to make sure that Clarke was alright—still alive at the very least. She couldn’t help but think it was just so selfish of her, to take off without even saying goodbye to her mother. She could’ve done something, _anything_ , to ease the worry that constantly encased Abby’s mind. A mother’s job is to worry. Clarke should’ve known that.

So Abby had made up her mind, they would put together a search party and go look for her, beginning as early as they could tomorrow morning. She knew people would try to stop her. Well, she definitely knew of at least _one_ person who would be opposed to this idea. She was in her tent putting together a bag when she heard his voice call out her name, calmly but uneasy, as in he knew what she was planning and did not approve. 

“Abby…” 

She didn’t have to turn around to see who it was, so she only continued packing.  
“I have to do this, Marcus. Clarke’s my daughter and I have to make sure she’s okay. Please don’t try to stop me.”

Marcus Kane took his time walking over towards her. “Abby, I know you have trouble picturing Clarke as an adult, but she really is.” She refused to look at him, but he placed his hand reassuringly on her shoulder.  “She must’ve had a very good reason for leaving and I doubt that trying to find her is going to—”

Kane was cut off by Abby furiously pushing his hand away from her. “Don’t pretend like like you understand! She’s not your daughter!” Abby closed her pack and swung it over her shoulder, then marched out of the tent. Kane followed her outside. 

“Where are you going?” He called out, sighing. 

“I’m going out to gather some more medical supplies for the trip tomorrow.” She said without looking back. She heard a set of footsteps following her, Kane had ran to catch up with her. 

“I’m coming with you.” She was going to protest, but he said this with the same tone she had just used on him—this is a statement, not a question. So she only sighed and ignored him. 

Kane knew something was wrong with Abby, she wasn’t usually like this. She had been brushing him off more and more recently, and every time he tried speaking to her usually resulted in her yelling at him in response. Were they really returning to the same amount of animosity between them like there had been on the Ark? He hoped not. 

They climbed up a hill nearby, Kane following closely behind Abby. When she stopped abruptly he almost ran into her. 

“There.” She said, pointing to some jagged leaves dangling on a tree branch way above her head. “Damn it,” she said. “I really need those leaves for medicine, but they’re up too far for me to reach.” 

“Let me get them,” Kane offered, knowing his height would make it easier for him to grab them. 

“No,” She said sharply. “I don’t need your help. Plus, it’s probably too far for you too, anyway.”

 Kane shrugged, while she was in this kind of a mood, it would be better to just let her do what she wanted. He watched, while she carefully put her foot on a low-hanging branch, and then reached upward to grab another one.

“Just be careful, okay?” He called out. Every time the branch beneath her feet started to strain under her weight, he felt a jolt of panic. This wasn’t a smart idea—it would’ve been so much easier for him to do it—but since he knew how stubborn Abby could be, he knew how unlikely it was for that to happen.

“I _am_ being careful,” she snapped at him. Once she had climbed far enough, the leaves were just in reach, but there weren’t any branches that allowed her to get closer. She carefully extended her arm as far as she could, the branch supporting her feet bending more and more, until a horrified Kane heard the inevitable snap of a broken branch.

“Abby!” He cried, immediately rushing over to the spot where she had fallen. He silently cursed himself for not standing closer to the tree, maybe he could’ve caught her. “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine,” she said firmly, clearly annoyed at the worry in Marcus’s voice. She held up three leaves clenched tightly in her right hand. “I got them, so let’s move on.” However, she was still sprawled where she had fallen and definitely took her time getting up, waving away Kane’s hand when he offered to help, his face still creased in worry.

Abby took a step forward and then nearly fell back down again, a jolt of pain shooting up her leg. She limped forward—her left leg felt fine, but every time she put her right leg to the ground— “Oww” she muttered, gritting her teeth. 

“Are you _sure_ you’re okay?” Kane asked again, knowing something was clearly wrong.

“Yeah, I’m fi—“ she started to say again, stumbling forward, but her leg refused to carry her as she walked, and she found herself unwillingly sprawled on the forest’s dirt floor once more. “Actually,” she began pulling up the bottom of her pant leg, noting the swelling and bruise that had begun to form. “I think I must’ve sprained my ankle.” She finally admitted, biting her cheek in shame. 

Kane sighed, “You know, if you would’ve just let _me_ get the damn leaves—” he said, reaching down and pulling her back up by the elbow. 

“Shut up.” She said hastily, taking a slow, tentative step forward on her own, pulling her elbow away from Kane’s hand. Gritting her teeth, she took another step, trying to ignore the pain that shot up her leg every time her ankle moved. 

He watched her, almost amused at her incredible stubbornness. “And where do you think you’re going?” He crossed his arms, stifling a laugh. 

“There’s more ingredients that I need to get before going on the mission tommo—” she huffed, waving the small paper with the list of what she needed on it at him, but she couldn’t even finish her sentence before she stumbled over the uneven ground and ending up landing there again. 

Despite his concern for the woman, Kane couldn’t help but let out a small laugh this time—which she promptly replied to by shooting him a glare.  “Abby, _you can’t walk_.” He said in exasperation, trying to make her come back to her senses. “You can’t gather anymore medical supplies, _let alone_ go on a mission tomorrow. We need to get back to camp before your ankle gets any worse.” 

Abby knew he was right, but her stubborn pride prevented her from admitting it. Her face warmed up, growing red with pure humiliation, and she felt a fiery anger inside. Yet, for some reason, she had to bite her cheek to keep any tears from spilling. She said nothing as Kane put her back on her feet a third time—she wouldn’t even look him in the eye. 

She was willing to let him help her walk back to camp at this point, she would resign herself to leaning on him if necessary, but she underestimated how far he would go to ensure she would not have to walk. For, as soon as she was standing again, he swooped her up—careful so as not to hurt her, and began carrying her bridal-style back towards the camp.

“What are you doing?” She stammered, her face getting even more heated, causing him to grin—which only succeeded in infuriating her all the more. “Put me down, right this instant!” 

“Sorry, no can do.” He laughed. “Don’t even try walking back to camp. I’m no doctor, but at least I have the common sense to realize you shouldn’t be walking with an ankle sprain.”

He was trying to be lighthearted, but he was only making her angrier. “Kane, put me down, right now! That’s an order.” She pounded on his arms.

Marcus flinched a little at the direct usage of his surname—it felt almost insulting coming from her—but nevertheless he kept walking back to camp, with her in his arms. She wasn’t the only one who could be stubborn.

“Sorry, but I am _not_ putting you down until I know you are safe and sound inside the medical tent. Don’t even try fighting me on this, _Chancellor_.”

She quit resisting when she knew Marcus was dead serious about the whole ordeal through his firm tone, yet she still felt the flood of embarrassment that came from going into camp being carried like some sort of goddamn _princess_. She was _not_ a damsel in distress, and she did _not_ need rescuing, she thought furiously to herself as they made their way to the front of the camp.

She saw a few kids nearby—it appeared Jasper and Monty were whispering to each other and practically giggling, pointing at them. Kane even walked by a confused looking Sinclair who glanced at them briefly and then did a double take; Marcus simply smiled at him without saying anything, then continued on his way. 

“Oh my god,” Abby buried her head against Kane’s shirt so she didn’t have to see who else had spotted her looking so pathetic. “Can you _please_ just hurry up and get to medical already? Before the whole damn camp sees us?” 

Despite his best attempt not to, Kane was grinning. “Is it really that bad to been seen like this?” 

She smacked him on the arm, tears of humiliation nearly stinging her eyes. “ _Yes_ , it’s that bad! Hurry up!”

“Fine, fine, I’m hurrying.” He said, picking up his pace a little, that boyish grin of his never leaving. She was beginning to feel a little bit heavy, so he doubled his efforts.

Finally, they arrived at the medical station, and Kane put her carefully down on the table. She stretched out her leg and sighed with relief. 

“Oh hello, Dr. Griffin, Kane.” They looked up, it appeared Jackson had been in the room the entire time. “Are you okay? I thought you went to gather medical supplies for tomorrow?” He had obviously seen her being carried in and wanted to know why.

Abby sighed, “Well, I was until—”

Kane cut in before she could try and water down how bad her injury was, “She sprained her ankle. Can you please convince her it’s not a good idea to go on this trip tomorrow?” 

Abby glared at Marcus, but Jackson just looked sympathetic. 

“Ouch, that sucks. Let’s see.” Jackson walked over to Abby, and she rolled up the bottom of her right pant leg so he could look at her ankle. She took off her shoe, and he carefully moved her foot back and forth, and she clenched her teeth. He would move her foot in a certain direction, then stop and ask if it hurt, and each time she would nod. 

“Well,” Jackson said when he was done. “It appeared that you must’ve landed on your foot strangely and overextended the ligaments near your right ankle.” 

At the hint confusion on Kane’s face he added, “So yeah, it’s just a pretty bad sprain. Considering you can barely walk, I would definitely consider calling off that mission. Or at the very least postponing it.” He patted her on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dr. Griffin.” 

She said nothing, but simply held her head down, and nodded at his sympathies. Then, an idea struck Jackson. “Look, I have something that might help with the pain. I’ll go grab it, be back in a few.” He said, walking out of medical, and shutting the door behind him. 

“So, I guess you have to admit that I was right about—” Kane began to say with a smirk, but immediately stopped short as he heard a sniffle and sharp intake of breath, realizing— _was he seeing things?_ —Abby Griffin was crying.

Just as soon as Jackson left the room, Abby felt the emotions that she had pent up for so long finally spilling out, they were _everywhere_ , and she was no longer able to control them. She covered her face with her hands, openly sobbing, hot, angry tears slipping down her face. She was absolutely furious and all she could do about it was cry. 

“Hey,” Kane said, his playful gaze softening into one painted with concern. He sat down beside her, unsure of how to approach her. He had never seen Abby cry before, she always maintained such a calm and professional facade that he wasn’t what to do or how to comfort her. 

Abby was crying so much she could barely speak, she found herself leaning against him, clutching the bottom of his shirt, burying her face against him. It was time to stop pretending that her anger was directed at him, forcing herself to admit that she was only mad at herself. She found herself confronting the dark thoughts that lurked at the back of her mind. She couldn’t take care of Clarke. She couldn’t take care of the camp. Hell, she couldn’t even take care of herself. She was a failure of a mother and a leader—a pathetic excuse for a person. 

Kane turned towards her and wrapped his strong arms tightly around her, and she felt herself falling into his warm embrace. He said nothing, knowing words would do no good and simply held her tighter with each sob. She scooted closer and buried herself against him, her head resting on his shoulder— she closed her eyes and breathed in his warm, woodsy scent. 

After a minute like that, she felt herself calming down, she took a deep breath in, trying to regain her composure. Her sobs had stopped by now, though a few stubborn tears continued to fall. 

“I’m a terrible mother,” She whispered. “I let my daughter disappear. She killed all those people and then just left—without even saying goodbye.” 

“Shhh,” Marcus said, trying to soothe her, whilst lightly stroking her hair. “You are not a terrible mother. Clarke made her own decisions. You’ve done nothing but guide her and protect her all this time. You’ve been nothing but a wonderful mother to her. Don’t say that.” 

She let his words wash over her, and she felt her broken thoughts beginning to heal. She whispered again, telling him the rest of doubts and fears, “But I let her go. I let her disappear, and I couldn’t fix it. I _can’t_ go find her and I _can’t_ even gather my own damn medicine on my own without _hurting myself_ because I’m so _useless_ and _pathetic_ —” She felt the sobs coming back, but Kane interrupted her before that could happen again.

“Hey,” Kane said, pushing her upright for a minute, he cupped her face with his hands and rested his forehead lightly against hers. “Listen to me. You are _not_ pathetic. You are _not_ useless. You are the best damn leader and mother I have ever met. You have done nothing but protect these people and Clarke for your entire life so—don’t you dare lie to yourself like that. Never again.” He said, his voice dead serious, urging her to agree with him. He then added, as a lighthearted afterthought, “That’s an order.” She laughed, despite the tears. 

“Okay.” she agreed. She then pulled away from him for a minute, taking her time to wipe her eyes and rid her face of the wetness before wrapping Kane in a tight hug. 

“Thank you, Marcus.” He heard her say. He smiled, it was good to know that they were back on a first-name basis, at the very least. He couldn’t resist wrapping his arms protectively around her once more, returning her hug. 

“Of course.”

The two of them were so startled when the door to medical swung open, and Jackson walked back in that they jolted apart, both of their faces reddening. Jackson had obviously noticed, but chose not to comment on the hug or Abby’s red eyes, knowing it probably wasn’t his place to do so. 

“Good news,” He said, smiling, holding up a small roll of athletic tape and pre-wrap. “I think I can sort of fix your ankle.” 

The puzzled look returned to Kane’s face, but Abby’s eyes lit up at the sight of the equipment. “You can tape it!” She said excitedly.

“What?” Marcus asked, blatantly confused. 

Jackson walked over to Abby saying, “Let’s try it out. Just watch for now, Kane.” 

She held up her foot for him and he first carefully took it and wrapped it in pre-wrap—a soft foam underwrap used so that the tape wouldn’t stick to her foot and would be easier to take off. He then wrapped her ankle and foot multiple times with the tape, until it looked like a makeshift cast surrounding her ankle. 

“Alright, try it out.” Jackson said once he had finished.

Slowly, she hopped off the medical table and walked around. It felt awkward for her at first, but then it felt great. She hardly felt any pain when she walked.

“It barely hurts at all now!” She exclaimed, finally smiling. She turned to Marcus and explained, “A tight taping of the ankle holds it in place so that it doesn’t move, and since you’re not moving the ankle out of place, it won’t hurt as much with the sprain.” 

He nodded. “Makes sense. So it looks like you’ll be able to go on that mission tomorrow after all?” 

Jackson nodded, “As long as her ankle is taped properly, it should be alright. Just try not to walk any more than you have to.” 

“Thank you, Jackson.” Abby said, giving him a brief hug. 

He smiled. “Sure thing, Dr. Griffin. See you later.” He said to them, before walking out of the room, figuring his work there had been done for the day. 

“So you’re going.” Kane said, but he was smiling. She figured that he had probably given up on trying to stop her by this point. “If that’s what you need to do then fine, but I’m coming with you.” 

“I guess I could use some company.” She said, laughing. “But I still didn’t finish collecting supplies, and it’s starting to get late…” 

“Let me see the list,” He said, motioning for her to give it to him. She pulled the list of what she needed out of her pocket and handed it to him; he looked it over—it wasn’t too long and there were detailed descriptions next to each item. 

He nodded, and simply said, “I’ll get them for you, so you don’t have to walk more than necessary.” 

“Really?” He nodded. “Oh, thank you so much, Marcus!” She said, a bright smile now on her face. Kane didn’t really want to go exploring while night was approaching—especially to help her go on a mission he still didn’t entirely approve of—but he would do whatever it took to keep her happy. 

“However, before I go—“ They were both standing up now, and Marcus took advantage of that fact by picking her up once again, the same way he had when she had fallen in the woods. “We have to get you to your tent so you can rest your ankle, and we certainly can’t have you _walking_ there.” 

“No, I suppose not.” She muttered, a slight smile still on her face. Kane was at first shocked by the extreme lack of resistance this time, considering how much she had protested before, but then his mouth curled upwards into a sly grin. 

“Admit it—you like this, don’t you.” He teased as he began walking back to her room.

Abby felt her face unintentionally warming once again, and she said defiantly, “Of course not! Don’t be stupid.” 

Although she had to admit, there were much worse things in the world than being carried around like a princess by Marcus Kane.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the wonders of a professional ankle-taping. Trust me, I know. Playing basketball with a sprained ankle is not fun, let me tell you. Yes, this was loosely based off my life, in which I am Abby. (My damn ankle still hurts when I walk!) If only there was a Marcus Kane to carry me around haha~ Anyway, I love kudos and feedback! :3 There's more to come! Look forward to it!


	2. Doctor Kane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jackson is missing, and Abby is sick, who's gonna have to take care of her? Abby's fever-ridden brain might get her into some trouble...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, indeed the very day after I sprained my ankle I got sick. So that part is indeed based on reality. The rest was an idea. Let me know what you thought of it!

That night Abby had fallen asleep with a smile on her face and a slight throb in her foot. _This isn’t so bad_ , she murmured to herself, after Kane had gently dropped her off in her bed before running out to go grab the rest of the items she needed.

However, the next morning was not nearly as pleasant as she thought it would be. Her head was throbbing viciously—she tried opening her eyes, but had to squint because the morning light only made her feel dizzy. She sat up slowly, the world felt like it was tilting around her and she felt more than a little bit nauseous. This was it, this was the day she was supposed to go out and find Clarke—and yet this was the day her body chose to get sick as a dog. Figures.

Gradually, she pulled herself out of slumber and into the waking world. She made a move to stand up and took a step forward, then nearly tumbled to the ground at the extreme pain that ran through her leg, immediately sitting back down on the bed. _Oh yeah, that’s right. I sprained my ankle_ , she remembered. She had cut off the tape last night before going to bed—while taping it did seem to work wonders, she knew it was unwise to leave an ankle taped for too long, because it would cut off the blood circulation in her foot.

So she simply sat there, head pounding, foot throbbing, because she literally _could not move_. She was still determined to go on the mission, because if there was one thing Abby was, it was stubborn. She would just have to figure out how to go about it. But for now, she simply put her face in her hands and moaned because everywhere hurt and all she could do for the moment was sit there.

“Abby? Are you alright?” She slowly raised her head at the voice, she felt sluggish and it took her a moment to place who it was—Oh right, just Marcus, of course it was.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She said, except it wasn’t very convincing because when she started to talk she discovered, _god, my throat hurts too_. Every word she spoke was another knife being dragged down her throat. She absolutely could not let Marcus see her like this.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice how hoarse her voice had sounded—maybe she was exaggerating and it wasn’t that bad after all, she reasoned.

“How’s your ankle feeling?” He asked.

“Good.” She managed to say, faking a smile. The fewer words she had to speak, the better. “Now go get Jackson, so he can re-tape my ankle for the day.” _Owww, my throat_. She was not in the mood for a conversation.

He nodded, yet still looked at her skeptically, obviously still concerned. He left, and she breathed a sigh of relief. How the hell was she supposed to leave while she was in this condition? She hobbled over to a bag of extra medicine supplies she had thrown in her room—gritting through the pain. She fumbled through the contents of her bag until she found what she had been looking for—painkillers, someone had found them in Mount Weather, she didn’t wish to use them too often but this was an emergency. She took a few, forcing them down with a sip of water from a bottle in her pack.

She took a seat back down on her cot until she felt the pain slightly begin to ease. The fuzziness clouding her brain begin to clear somewhat, and she didn’t have to wince as much every time she swallowed. But the whole ankle situation was still pretty problematic. She still couldn’t have Marcus carrying her everywhere all the time, so she simply sat there until Jackson could arrive with the supplies. It would be a pain to walk to medical, and she didn’t want to force Marcus into carrying her anymore.

When Marcus returned to her tent, she was relieved to see him, but worried at Jackson’s absence.

“Where’s Jackson?” She asked. She knew how to tape an ankle, but it would really be a pain in the ass to have to tape her own—she actually wasn’t entirely sure it would work at all.

“Well, here’s the thing.” He began, looking concerned. “I can’t find him.”

“What?” Abby said incredulously. If Jackson was gone, then there would be no one to tape her ankle, and then she couldn’t go on the mission because she couldn’t walk. _I must have the worst luck in the world_ , she thought to herself.

“I asked around, some people think he was off gathering medical supplies—though I’m not sure why he would considering I got them all last night—and others say he’s probably helping some sick person at their tent, so I honestly don’t know. I’m sure he’ll turn up eventually.” Abby groaned.

“But the good news is,” Marcus smiled, holding up more of the tape and pre-wrap Jackson had used last night, “I found the supplies needed, so hopefully that helps?”

Abby laughed, he had that cute grin he always wore when he thought he as being helpful. “Well,” she said, “I know how to tape an ankle, but it’d be extremely difficult for me to have to do it myself—so it looks like you’re going to have to do it, Marcus.” 

At this his grin faded into confusion, “What? Abby, I don’t think that—”

“It’s not _that_ hard.” Abby motioned for him to pull up a chair and sit next to her, which he did, although reluctantly. Noticing this she looked up at him pleadingly, this was the only way this was going to work if Jackson was gone, and she was still desperate to find Clarke as soon as she could— “ _Please_.”

“Alright, fine.” Kane finally said, sighing. The things he would do to keep this woman happy. “Just let me know exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.”

She was still sitting on the edge of her bed without her shoes on. He pulled the stool he was perched on closer towards her bed—they were around the same level height-wise thankfully, which made the job easier. Gently, he reached down and picked up her foot, placing it carefully in his lap.

“Alright, what next?”

“Um, well…” She stammered, feeling a blush creep up on her. Abby thought she could handle Marcus taping her ankle without incident, yet all he had done was put her foot on his lap and her face was burning, bright red— _come on you’re a professional, get over yourself_. She was both thoroughly embarrassed and mildly turned on. His hands were incredibly warm and comforting, and when he touched her skin, she felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach instead of the pain that was usually there.

“What, am I doing it wrong?” He asked earnestly at the lack of instruction.

“Well, you haven’t really _done_ anything yet, Marcus.” _Except turn me on a little_. “Okay, first, get the pre-wrap.” He grabbed the tape and unwrapped some of it beginning to—“No, not _that_ one, the _other_ one. That’s not pre-wrap, that’s tape, do you _want_ to rip all the skin off my foot?”

“Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we.” He laughed nervously, and put the tape down, wrapping the soft foamy equipment around her ankle, “Don’t forget to wrap the foot too, so its supported—“ and he obliged. Then, he grabbed the real tape and began doing the same thing.

“Make sure you make it tight, otherwise it’s completely pointless.” She instructed him.

He kept wrapping, and—concerned that he wasn’t doing it right—made an effort to wrap it a lot tighter, and she winced. “Not _too_ tight though, or you’ll cut off the blood circulation. You don’t want to have to amputate my foot, would you?”

He looked up, utterly horrified, and she laughed. “Relax! It was a joke.” _Well, hopefully it wouldn’t come to that_. “Don’t worry, it’s not _that_ tight.” She said, and he wrapped the tape around one more time for good measure—his hands moving deftly and especially carefully after her last comment—before releasing her foot.

“Well? How did I do?” He pushed the chair away and stood up, Abby did the same.

She took a few tentative steps. “It’s not terrible.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” His smile was terribly cocky. “Is that all the thanks I get for helping you?”

She tried to glare at him, but she found there was an unwilling smile creeping up on her. “ _Thank you_. Are you happy now? Now, go get your things and I’ll meet you by the front entrance.”

“As you say, Chancellor.” He said grinning, taking his leave.

Abby rolled her eyes, and stuffed the last of her supplies into a large black backpack and swung it over her shoulder. She was ready to go find her daughter.

…Or so she thought. She stepped out of her tent, and starting walking towards the front. She found herself wincing every so often when her right foot connected with the hard earth beneath her. Although she hated to admit it, Kane’s ankle taping was not nearly as good as Jackson’s had been, and she was definitely feeling the difference—although it was to be expected.

The more she walked the more she found her ankle was not the only thing bothering her. Her headache from this morning was already making its way back to her—perhaps the medicine had been unused for a bit too long—and her vision began to swim before her. She stopped walking, blinked a few times until the fuzziness cleared enough to keep going.

Even so, the tents she passed had a blur about them and her body felt hot and unnaturally heavy, as though with every step she was sinking into the earth, being weighed down. Time moved at an unnaturally slow rate. She looked around and to her left a girl walked by her—though the face escaped her, the flash of blonde hair did not.

“Clarke?” There was no way it could possibly be her. Even so she decided to follow this girl, she limped towards her, calling out, “Clarke! It’s me, Abby.”

The girl stopped in her tracks and spun around, “Abby?” Wavy blonde hair, determined look in her eye, it was Clarke, it had to be—her own daughter was right in front of her. Abby couldn’t believe it, she walked towards her as fast as she could manage.

Clarke rushed towards her, looking concerned, “Abby? Are you alright? You don’t look so good.” Abby’s head was throbbing and the girl came over to her. Abby wrapped her arms around her tightly and closed her eyes, as her vision was getting a bit shaky.

The girl pushed her away and shook her a bit roughly by the shoulders. “Abby? What’s wrong? Look at me!” _She didn’t call me Mom, she called me Abby._ As the realization struck her, she reopened her eyes, and there was indeed a concerned looking girl standing before her, but this one had dark hair pulled tightly back and eyes the color of the ground beneath her.

“Raven…?” Abby crumpled to the ground, her body giving out. She was still conscious, but she could no longer find the strength to open her eyes.

“Abby, oh my god, you’re burning up. You must have a really bad fever—you need medical attention, right now.” Raven’s voice was drenched in panic. “Help! Somebody, please!”

She heard the footsteps of someone who had responded to Raven’s call. Her eyes remained closed, her body felt like it was on fire, her head throbbed incessantly, and she drifted in and out of consciousness, only catching snippets of what was going on around her—

* * *

 A rough, warm hand gently touching her warm face, then pulling away.

_“She’s feverish.”_

_“I know—we need to go get Jackson, now.”_

_“Jackson is missing.”_

_“Missing?”_

_“Yes, I haven’t been able to find him all day.”_

_“What should we do?”_

_“I’ll take care of her, you go find Jackson.”_

_“Right.”_

Strong arms lifting her up and carrying her elsewhere.

_Hot, why is it so hot?_

_Insides burning._

Gently set down on a bed.

_Exhausted._

_Sleep._

* * *

When Abby awoke she found someone had laid her in her cot, with a thin sheet which appeared to have been on top of her but she must've tossed to to the side in her heat-haze. There was a cool cloth on her forehead, and while the heat wasn’t gone, per se, it had definitely lessened in its intensity. She tried to get up, but groaned and collapsed back on the bed with frustration. She felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion and her head was spinning and her thoughts were scattered— she closed her eyes, and tried to sleep.

Before she could drift off, she heard the flap to her tent open, and someone walked in, pulling up a chair beside her bed and sat down. She felt a cool sense of relief as the cloth on her forehead was switched out for a newer and colder one.

“Abby…” He muttered, concerned. He brushed her hair out of her face carefully with his hand, and sighed, ever so slightly. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Abby’s mind was still cloudy at the moment and all she could hear was a voice that held nothing but love and concern for her, so her first thought was—it must be Jake. She knew somewhere in her mind that this was impossible, yet reality was merely a haze to her at the moment, and she did remember his voice having the same depth of tone—so her fever-addled brain assumed it must be him.

She did not open her eyes, but simply smiled at the thought. She felt a warm hand lovingly stroke her hair and a deep voice murmur with concern, “I can’t lose you, Abby. You need to get better.” He gave a sad-sounding laugh. “You’re so damn stubborn, why didn’t you just tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

He placed his hand on her cheek lightly and said, “I need you, Abby.”

She smiled, having missed Jake’s touch over the years. “I love you.” She muttered sleepily, grinning.

She felt the hand beside her tense up momentarily, as if in surprise, and then she heard a quiet— “I love you too.”

She rolled onto her back from her side and placed her hand over his saying, “I’ve missed you, Jake.” She was finally conscious enough to open her eyes, so she did—knowing she would see her loving husband taking care of her.

But instead she saw a different man who loved her, one with dark brown hair and eyes to match with a look of utter anguish and confusion on his face.

“ _Jake_ …?” A broken voice stammered.

As her head began to clear, the reality of what had occurred finally struck her, and she felt the regret drive through her like a knife. She had moved past Jake a long while ago, the fever had simply clouded her mind, but how was she supposed to explain that to the man who had professed his love for her?

Marcus Kane abruptly pulled his hand away and stood up, taking a step backwards and knocking over his chair in the process, recoiling from her as if his hand had touched an open flame.

She forced herself to sit up, she needed to explain—“Marcus, I…”

She watched his face, for another moment it remained irrevocably heart-broken, but then a wave of steel washed over it and the emotion left. His expression turned hard and unreadable.

“I need to find Jackson.” He said abruptly, turning away from her before she could come up with her explanation and striding brusquely out of the room. Suddenly, despite the ever-lingering headache and fever that plagued her, the pain in her body was nothing compared to the one now in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where is Jackson? Will Abby be able to explain herself to Marcus? Find out next time! More to come! 
> 
> Ah, fluffy angst at its finest...sorry about the angst, I promise there is more fluff to come. Thank you for reading, comments and kudos always make my day. Let me know what you thought! :3


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